Map Title: Crazy For Fight IIMap Author: Tatuyuki / TA19 / TA20Reviewer: DelacroixReview Score: 36%Tagline: Every bit as good as the original - and even better.

Main Review:

Crazy For Fight II is a three-map pack from 2000 by the Japanese author Tatuyuki a.k.a. TA19, nowadays known under the moniker 'TA20'. It is the second installment in the series and while it will not surprise us with much novelty, it follows the same proven formula that made the original enjoyable.

A beautiful waterfall.

While the author once again kicks off with simple visuals, they quickly improve - and this time around, there are no construction issues whatsoever. The ancient purposeless dungeons still remain without a sense of purpose but this time around the enviroments are more varied than before - and, especially outside, more advanced. Take the second map for example, where the players can see a gorgeous waterfall before jumping down into the same lake that the river falls into. The third map makes the other two pale in comparison. Albeit still pretty linear, the finale encourages players to explore some more and offers gorgeous views, often bringing up Hanging Gardens to mind.

Don't take a dip there. Green is bad. Very bad.

There's still little to experience in terms of sound. There are only a couple tracks used and while they switch to different ones from time to time, it doesn't always fit the setting. Sometimes, the silence is unbearable. Even less is delivered in terms of storyline - there's a complete lack of one in both the maps and the attached document.

An even more beautiful waterfall.

There is little novelty in terms of gameplay versus the original Crazy For Fight: all you need to do is traverse a linear set of ancient-looking dungeons and outside areas and blast away anything that lives. However this time around, Tatuyki has modified many of the creatures' default properties, changing their stamina, attack types, speed and so on. There's more than enough surprises to keep the player interested in butchering the inhabitants.

Hmmm... Which route should I take...

The main issue I take with "Crazy For Fight II" is the fact that the author didn't take the time to polish the first two maps as he did the final one. Had they been at the same quality level, the score would be much higher. There's seeds of decent design here. Ghostlike enemies standing next to their corpses, fairly realistic outdoors and that final level which is the cream of the crop of the series so far. But sadly, this potential is not utilized.

Now this is beautiful.

Summary:

Crazy For Fight II is every bit as good in being a Space-Invaders-like oldschool romp as the original was and it gets better. It may not be good enough to be a work of art, but as an enjoyable arcade distraction from reality, it certainly fits the bill. Playing this at least once is strongly recommended.